This invention is in the field of cameras and more specifically those which may be collapsed in a stored condition and subsequently discarded after a single use. Cameras typically are quite expensive and thus are designed to have a relatively long life. Many instances occur, however, when only a single photograph is required allowing for the subsequent discarding of the camera if it were not for the high cost of the camera. For example, many insurance companies require the insurance applicant to submit a photograph of a building prior to issuance of insurance relating to the building. Lengthy delays are incurred in view of the time required to develop the typical camera film assuming a self-developing camera is not immediately available. In such a case, it is extremely advantageous for a self developing, low cost camera to be available allowing discarding of the camera after a single use. It also is desirable for such a camera to be collapsible in order for the insurance company to initially mail or otherwise provide the disposable camera to the insurance applicant. Heretofore, it has not been known to provide such a camera which is both collapsible to facilitate the mailing thereof and constructed to issue a single self-developing photograph while at a low cost to allow the discarding thereof after a single use. Disclosed herein is such a camera.
Our aforementioned camera includes rollers mounted therein to facilitate the breaking open of the film development material attached to the film packet and the subsequent application of the material directly onto the film. These rollers add to the expense and bulk of the camera and thus it is preferred to remove same and instead provide a film development mechanism separate from the camera. Such an approach allows the user to discard the camera after a single use while saving the film development mechanism for subsequent uses. Disclosed herein is the external film development mechanism along with the accompanying collapsible disposable camera.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,412,662, issued to Balais on Nov. 26, 1968 discloses a disposable camera produced from a plastic material without the collapsible mailing feature of the camera disclosed herein. Another plastic camera is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,933,027, issued to Hollingworth et al. on Apr. 19, 1960, whereas U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,323,009, issued to Claudot et al. on June 29, 1943 and 3,547,020, issued to Goldfarb on Dec. 15, 1970, respectively relate to a photographic apparatus made up of a series of detachable parts and to a compact toy camera. A collapsible camera is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,143,385 issued to Platt.